PSC Men's Soccer Season Preview '98

Sep 02, 1998

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - With its sights set on a third
straight Little East Conference title and a second consecutive NCAA
Tournament bid, the Plymouth State College men's soccer team begins
its season-long quest this Saturday in the opener at Panther Field.

The Panthers will host Babson College at 2:00 p.m. Saturday
(Sept. 5), beginning the 42nd year of PSC Men's Soccer and the
seventh season under head coach Shawn Griffin.
Plymouth State features a team that has made it to the NCAA
Tournament two of the past three years, including 1997 when the
Panthers advanced to the New England Regional final and finished
with a 14-3-2 record.

"We're right where we were last year," said Griffin, an '88 PSC
grad who has a 63-35-7 record in six seasons. "We think we can
challenge for the Little East Conference championship and return to
the NCAA Tournament. We won one game in the NCAA Tournament last
season, so we know what it's like and what we have to do. We want
to do it again, but not stop there."

The two-rime defending Little East Conference champion, PSC was
picked first in the 1998 LEC pre-season poll, just ahead of rival
Keene State. The Panthers received five first-place votes, second
place Keene State got two first-place votes, and third place
Western Connecticut received the other. PSC captured LEC titles by
going 5-1 in 1996 and 7-0 last season.

After the road opener next Wednesday, Sept. 9, at St. Anselm,
Plymouth State will participate in Keene State's Tournament, facing
Norwich and R.P.I. on Sept. 12-13, respectively. Two other
highlights on the September schedule are a match at regional rival
Wheaton on the 23rd, and the first home night game in PSC history
on Homecoming Saturday the 26th, a 7:00 p.m. match-up against Keene
State under the new lights at Panther Field.

After advancing to the NCAA Regional Final in 1997 and finishing
10th in the final national poll, the Panthers will be challenged to
match that success in '98. Griffin says it's a difficult but
reachable goal.

"Absolutely we have the team to do that on paper," says Griffin,
who has taken his teams to the post-season four times in six years,
including twice to the NCAAs. "Our goals are to win the Little East
Conference for the third year in a row, and to gain a bid to the
NCAA Tournament. A lot of chemistry and a lot of blending has to
happen, but we have the players to do it."

1998 P.S.C. Men's Soccer Outlook

Expect the Panthers to be very strong defensively, according to
Griffin. PSC allowed only 17 goals in 19 games and registered nine
shutouts last year, and that type of stifling defense should
continue. There'll be a new look in goal after the graduation of
four-year starter Magnus Karlsson, a two-time
All-New England selection. Senior Shawn Higgins
(Foxboro, MA), a former keeper at Central Connecticut, should fill
the role after scoring nine goals as a reserve forward in '97.

Senior co-captain Danny Gilbertson (London,
England) is a two-time selection to the All-Little East Conference
First Team. He backbones the Panther defense and was on the scoring
end of 10 goals last year from his sweeper position.

"Danny was the best defender in New England, as far as I'm
concerned," says Griffin. "He's a great defender, and he scored 10
goals last year from the sweeper spot on one of the best teams in
New England. He could play any position on the field, any where
he's needed."

Senior Adam Jordan (Milford, NH) and junior
Michael Soares (West Haven, CT) are also returning
starters on defense, along with part-time starter Scott
Curran (Pawcatuck, CT). Another returnee, senior
Chris Fall (Nashua, NH), could also step in.
Griffin says there are also four or five strong newcomers, led by
Magnus Eriksson (Karlstad, Sweden), Dean
Ronnie (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Justin
Wengell (Newington, CT).

Look for junior co-captain Kevin Martin
(Foxboro, MA) to patrol the midfield. He suffered a season-ending
injury in the opener last fall after sitting out the previous year
as a transfer, but he is healthy now, according to Griffin, and
primed for a strong season.

"He's hungry," said Griffin, "It's been almost three years since
he's played a full college game. He had two years of training, then
the bad luck last year with the broken leg. He's as hungry as
anyone, and he's fully healed from the injury. We want him to run
the show."

Two other returning starters in the midfield are junior
Jeff DeRosa (Billerica, MA) and sophomore
Simon Sendowski (Gothenberg, Sweden). DeRosa, a
three-year starter, is a strong defensive midfielder, while
Sendowski enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, posting nine assists,
second-highest on the team. Jordan can also fill in here, as can
last year's reserves Jeremy Gasowski (Lee, NH) and
Jon Plater (Hillsboro, NH), who gained some
valuable playing experience. Freshman Garry
Thompson (Glasgow, Scotland) could also be in the mix.

One of Griffin's biggest concerns is the team's ability to score
goals after the graduation of All-American striker Brett
Scaccia, who was good for 26 goals last fall. He's hoping
for a big senior year from returning starter Jesse
Elderkin (Concord, NH). He's scored 10 career goals, and
could be a key.

"Forward is a big question right now," says Griffin. "Any of a
number of other players could step up and fill that role. We'll
have to wait and see who that is."

"We had a good run last year, and we want to pick up from where
we left off," says Griffin, "and we will."